Delaney and Iheme play their part in strong Four Nations run for Ireland U/15 teams

PORTLAOISE Panthers pair, Mia Delaney and Prince Iheme kick-started a busy summer of international action for a number of the Laois club’s emerging underage stars when they lined out for the Ireland Under 15 Girls and Boys teams at last weekend’s Four Nations Tournament, staged in the National Basketball Performance Centre in Manchester.

Both teams faced tough opening games against the competition hosts, England, with the Ireland boys losing out 87-71 while the girls-in-green carded a heavy 85-31 reversal.

Iheme led the way under the boards for Ireland in their curtain raiser, totalling 12 rebounds, while also carding four blocks, four points and two assists in the 28 minutes he played.

Delaney was afforded almost 20 minutes of court time in her respective opener, landing a nice three-pointer while also picking up three rebounds and two assists.

While they may have been left empty-handed after their opening fixtures of the contest, both Ireland teams bounced back strongly to record impressive victories over Wales and Scotland that secured them the runners-up spot in their respective divisions.

Delaney was one of six players to hit double figures for Ireland, bagging 12 points, along with four rebounds and three assists, as they stormed to a 111-54 success against the Welsh on Saturday afternoon.

Iheme, meanwhile, emerged Ireland’s top scorer on 16 points against Wales, as Einaras Miltinis and Conor Potito combined for a further 23, to help propel Gareth O'Reilly's side to a 77-55 triumph.

That finish to the opening day of competition, left the two Ireland teams on a sound footing ahead of their respective tests against Scotland on Sunday.

And both teams closed out their campaigns with convincing performances, the Ireland boys carding a 96-80 success, while Ian Lynch’s girls ran out 72-55 victors.

It was a double double for Iheme in this closing game as he registered 13 points and a stunning 15 rebounds, which, together with the game-high 28 points that Joey Kelly amassed, went a long way to seeing Ireland finish on a high note.

Delaney, meanwhile, took four points and five assists as the Ireland girls did enough to also ensure a second-place finish, Aoife Courtney tallying 16 points, as Sophia Mulcaire and Taylor Drury each weighed in with 10.

It was a hugely encouraging weekend for Basketball Ireland who will see more teams in Four Nations action over the coming month, starting with the Under 14 Boys and Girls in East Kilbride, Scotland from 13-15 June.

Again, there will be no shortage of interest in these tournaments for Portlaoise who saw more of their members named in other underage national squads in the days leading up to last weekend’s Under 15 Four Nations.

Indeed, Evan Branagan has been included in the Ireland Under 14 team that will face off against England, Scotland and Wales in their respective Four Nations Tournament.

The Laois club also boasts two players in the Ireland Under 17 Men’s panel, with head coach, Ciaran Kiveney giving the nod to both Jayden Umeh and Desmond Ogedegbe ahead of their trip to Cardiff for Four Nations competition on 28 and 29 June.

And later this summer, Katie Rose Harrison will line out for Ireland at the FIBA Under 16 Women's Youth EuroBasket 2025 in Istanbul.

The highly-rated guard is one of 12 players selected by head coach, Paul O’Brien whose squad will take on Austria, Iceland, Switzerland and hosts, Turkey in Group A of the tournament, which runs from 20-29 August.

Two teams will advance to the quarter-final stage from each of the four groups in the competition, with three teams securing promotion to Division A for the following year.

While emphasising the headache he faced in whittling his squad down to the final 12 ahead of the European’s, Ireland head coach, Paul O’Brien is hugely pleased with the line-up he has settled on saying: “We feel we have a great blend of skill and athleticism in the squad and the potential in the group is massive.

“Being able to pick a squad of all domestic-based players shows how much work has been done by these players’ schools, clubs and regional academies and we can’t wait to see what the summer brings.”